Close Your Eyes
by NCISlover96
Summary: Artemis comforts Wally, excuse the sucky summary. Read and enjoy! And please leave a review
1. Chapter 1

**I am now officially a night owl, fall asleep at 4 in the morning and not wake up until 12 in the afternoon. That is except on the days where I have to go to the sleep depriving, social life sucking place they call high school. I honestly could not fall asleep without putting this down, so please accept this fluff as my gift to you. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, although I sure wish I did.**

The walls seemed like they were closing in from every side. It seemed like he- they- would be crushed between them. Wally's mind flashed to old cartoons where the bad guy would become paper thin when an anvil or a piano dropped on him. He wondered if that was what he would look like if he didn't get out soon.

_No, I'll probably be a pile of bones on the ground by the time the team finds me. _He started breathing a little faster and he could feel his heart racing as he tried to calm himself.

"Wally!"He heard a voice next to him and suddenly, the walls became still. "Wally!" he heard the voice again and turned his head to the right. Of all the people in the world, he had to be stuck in this tiny room with Artemis. Just his luck.

"What are doing?" she asked him but did not give him a chance to answer. "Well whatever it is, stop. It's freaking me out!" she snapped at him

"Oh well I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, it's just the fact that we are _stuck in an 8ft by 8ft room with no way to get out!_"

"Calm down, M'gann will find us soon and we will be out, so for the love of all that is good in the world, will you please just calm down. I can practically feel you vibrating!" She spoke so plainly like she was just telling what she had for breakfast this morning. And that made Wally mad.

"Are you crazy? For all you know we could die in here before anyone finds us!"

"Well aren't you the optimist. Why are you freaking out about this so much? Geez, I've never seen you like this before. What's wrong with you?" She asked, sounding annoyed but slightly curious at the same time.

Wally let out a sigh. She was so infuriating and somehow he always ended up with her. He didn't know why he did it, but he found himself explaining himself to her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you, it's just that I don't like small places, I feel like they're closing in on me."

For a moment there was stiff silence.

Then, Artemis started laughing.

Wally flared up. "What? It's perfectly reasonable to not like the feeling of suffocation!" Artemis slowed her guffawing to small giggles. Wally turned forward and started reciting the Periodic Table in his head to distract himself from the closed in feeling again. As Artemis took in his stony face, she finally stopped laughing.

"You're serious?" she asked with laughter still in her voice. Wally turned to look at her.

"Oh please, like you're the most fearless person in the world? Oh wait; you're Artemis, the emotionless machine. He turned again to face forward. It was quiet for another five minutes before anyone spoke, and when they did, it was Artemis who spoke up first.

'"Thunderstorms," she replied simply, "I am afraid of thunderstorms."

She was quiet, recalling the reason for her fear. Her face was back to a mask of impenetrability. After a couple of minutes, Wally spoke up.

"Well...at least it's not clowns." At this, the corner of her lips tugged up slightly.

For the next ten minutes, Wally focused on his breathing, trying to keep it even, counting each one to distract him. But he was a speedster, and speedsters have very, _very, _small attention spans. Pretty soon, the thoughts of suffocation entered his mind again, the terrifying feeling of being trapped.

He started shaking again and he shut his eyes tight, fear coursing through his veins.

That is, until he felt a warmth on his shoulder. A slim hand slid down his arm and stopped on top of his hand.

Wally opened his eyes and turned toward the girl next to him. Artemis interlaced her small calloused hand into his soft, warm one. Emerald met grey as the small hand squeezed gently.

"I have an idea Wally," her voice was barely above a whisper. "Close your eyes."

His eyes slipped closed without protest as he felt movement around him. The hand was removed from his and he felt disappointment rise within him.

Then, he felt the same warmth on his jaw as slim fingers slipped under his cowl and pushed it off. Then the hand went to the nape of his neck, tugging him gently. He followed her instruction, lowering his head until he felt his forehead make contact with warm skin.

Wally opened his eyes and first saw that Artemis removed her cowl as well and second, his head was nuzzled in the crook of her neck.

"My mother used to hold me like this when I had one of my nightmares. I was a pretty crazy kid, my nightmares ones of legend." There was some laughter in her tone and Wally chuckled softly.

"I used to calm down instantly, just closed my eyes and listened to my mom singing to me," he voice was down to a whisper. "Close your eyes Wally, we're going to be fine."

"Artemis…"

"Shhh, just relax. Close your eyes and sleep. Dream about the piles of food you can pig out with when we get out of here." She laughed silently and leaned back against the wall slightly, putting her in a better position for Wally to lean into her.

His hand found hers and he interlocked their fingers. His nose skimmed across the soft skin of her graceful neck, causing the blond to shiver, her fingers tightening around his.

He raised his lips to her ear, "Thanks Arty".

"No problem Baywatch. And stop calling me Arty."

…

After a couple hours the two teammates were curled up against each other, lost in sleep. Somewhere in the night, their positions had reversed. Wally was leaning against the wall and Artemis lay across his chest, their hands still interlocked.

They only stirred awake when the telltale signs of a lock being picked sounded through the room. The two pulled apart and shared a look that said, _Our secret, _and righted themselves. They stood up, gathering their belonging, ready to run out with Robin as he threw open the door.

A few weeks later at Mt. Justice, there was a storm brewing by the time the teens had finished debriefing and gotten ready for bed, a thunderstorm. Everyone went into their respective rooms after wishing each other 'good night' and 'sweet dreams'.

But Wally West was waiting in the living room for an archer he knew would show up eventually. After all, he had to repay the favor.

**Reviews are much appreciated, even something as simple as a smiley **


	2. Chapter 2

Artemis could handle almost anything. Thugs with guns, thugs with dynamite, thugs with illegal steroid like drugs, thugs with gas that makes you do weird things and just thugs in general. Heck, Artemis could even handle _high school. _And that was saying something.

But the one thing that Artemis Crock could not handle was thunderstorms.

It seemed irrational to her at times, even immature for her to hang on to a childhood fear that in her opinion, she should have grown out of.

But in the middle of the night, when she was curled up in her bed, clutching the covers to chest and flinching every time she heard the crack of lightning or the boom of thunder, all of her bravado flew out the window. At that moment, all she wanted was someone to hold her close and calm her down.

Actually, Artemis was having one of those moments right now. Tossing and turning in her bed as she tried to block out the flashes of light and the flourishing sounds. Finally, around three in the morning, she gave up trying to sleep and got out of bed.

She threw a sweatshirt over her camisole and shorts and padded out of her room. She slowly slid open her door and walked out to the mountains living room.

Batman insisted that the entire team stay the night, due to a late night mission and 'to conserve their strength for tomorrow's training'. The only upside? It was Friday which meant no school tomorrow, and the downside, two extra hours of training tomorrow.

But training was all right, she got to get rid of all of her frustration built up during the week and she got to learn new fighting skills. That and Megan's cooking had finally gotten to become edible, even enjoyable and Artemis had been hoping that she would reward the team with some new, tasty dish.

Her mouth watering and her thoughts diverted to food, Artemis padded over to the kitchen. Looking around to make sure that no one was following her or Robin was getting ready to pounce out on her; Artemis relaxed and got to work.

She got to work, chopping up some chocolate as she put a pot on the stove. Now Artemis wasn't a great cook but she could make some killer hot chocolate, perfect for those sleepless nights. After chopping up all of the chocolate, she poured milk into the pot and waited for it to reach a boil.

Artemis crossed her arms and leaned against the counter, shivering in her shorts and trying to block out the annoying thunder. She shut her eyes tight and wrapped her arms around herself, taking slow, deep breaths, just like her sister used to instruct her to do.

Memories and flashes of late nights jumped to her eyes; her sister and her sitting by the foot of her bed, reading _Alice in Wonderland_ on stormy nights, the warmth she felt in her mother's arms after 'training' with her dad.

"Uh, I think your milk is burning? Yep, milk is supposed white, not brown." Artemis' eyes snapped open and she uncrossed her arms. She turned and bent over the stove, "Crap"; she turned off the stove and poured out the bad milk.

Turning around, Artemis' eyes met the slight stubbly chin of a redheaded teenager. _Damn that growth spurt, its not fair. _

"When did you get here?"

"Oh I think it was right around the time you were leaning next a pot of burning milk and scrunching your eyes closed for dear life." The smirk on the corner of his lips told her he was sniping back at her, the malice in his tone not real.

She scoffed and went to get another pot.

"Can I have some?"

This time, she watched the stove intently after she poured in the milk, adding enough for two servings this time.

"What do you want?"

Silence.

"…How long do you usually need?" He asked after a couple minutes.

The puzzled look on her face apparently didn't register with him as he sat still, waiting for her response.

"What are you talking about Kid?"

He sighed and rested his chin in his hand, "How long does it take for you to fall asleep on nights like these?"

She gritted her teeth in an attempt to bite back the sarcastic comment nipping at her tongue. "Again, what are you talking about?"

"You really want to make me say it?"

Artemis was unmoved, keeping the stonewalled expression on her face.

"Fine, I will. Thunderstorms. What do you do when you are afraid, just wait out the night?"

"How do you..?"

"Did you really think I would forget? It took you long enough though; I've been waiting for almost 20 minutes for you to finally get here." He whined as if that was the longest time span ever.

"You were waiting for me? I don't need anyone to help me Wally, I'm not a child." Her eyebrows knit together as she frowned at the emerald eyed boy in front of her.

His expression softened as he smiled at her, throwing his eyes behind her, "You better watch that milk, and I think it's time to put the chocolate in." He stood up and walked past her.

Working quietly, he prepared the rest of the savory drink and poured it into two cups. Artemis on the other hand had taken up catatonia, watching him with a determined expression on her face.

When Wally turned around, he took one look at her face and brushed past her to set the mugs down. He took a seat in one of the chairs and gestured to the other one for her. When she didn't budge, Wally decided his original plan for Artemis to spill out her heart was not going to work.

"Why are you being so difficult? I showed you mine, now it's your turn." He assumed the direct approach was the best.

But, that didn't really sit well with the blond as she scoffed, "Mind your own business". And that was that, she just turned and walked away.

_That self imploring, know-it-all, egotistical idiot. Who does he think he his? And I didn't even get my hot chocolate. _

She walked back to her room in silent fury and as she punched in her code, the door slid open and Artemis felt a gentle breeze ruffle her hair as she stepped in. She padded back inside, mad for backing down. She was there first; she wasn't the one who should have had to leave.

Then as if the world thought to humiliate her even more, another crack of thunder and a bolt of lightning lit up her room and she jumped, tripping and almost falling face first to the ground.

Operative word being _almost. _

At the last second, a pair of warm arms encircled her and caught her fall. She mentally sighed, of course this would happen. The one person she just wanted to leave her alone would also be the one person to see her in her worst possible state.

_Stupid weather, stupid lightning, stupid thunder, stupid floor, stupid!_

"Are you okay?" The voice behind her was laced with worry.

"I'm fine, now get your hands off me." The authoritative command in her voice was final, no arguments.

He let her go, albeit reluctantly. She turned to face him, ready to give him a piece of her mind, ready to chew him out for following her into her room of all things.

But as fate would have it, at the moment she opened her mouth, the strongest boom of thunder so far echoed inside her room. Artemis jumped and reached out for the thing closest to her.

Wally.

Her hands clung to the neckline of his shirt and her head was burrowing into his warm chest. With each following boom of thunder and whip of lightning, Artemis pressed herself even closer into him, molding herself against him. By the third boom, his hands encircled her shoulders and held her tight.

As Artemis screwed her eyes shut, all of the memories came flooding back, the wall she tried to build was crumbling down, brick by brick. She could almost feel the sting of her father's blows, the sharpness of his kicks. Then the loneliness and fear she felt being left in the empty forest at nights like these. Her father's worst torture wasn't the physical, it was the mental. That was one of his gifts, finding the weakness of someone and twisting it to cause pain.

She couldn't help it, the shaking started and Artemis knew what followed if she couldn't stop it. She could feel the dam about to burst when the smooth, calming words registered close to her ear.

She couldn't find the words but she could feel the silk like voice gliding over her skin, the soothing circles being rubbed into her back. It was _him. _How was he doing that?

The fear was ebbing, the softness of lips pressing against her hair making it hard for her to focus on anything besides the warmth in front of her.

"It's okay beautiful….don't worry…I got you…just relax"

The tidbits of comforting words made Artemis feel secure, grounded.

Finally, _finally, _there was a break between the sounds outside her room. Artemis released Wally's shirt and stepped back, unable to meet her saviors' eyes.

"T-thank you."

"..no problem."

"You don't have to stay Wally, you don't have to see this. I'm sorry." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Are you apologizing for being scared?" He couldn't hide the incredulousness in his voice. "Artemis, you are not a machine. It doesn't make you weak to be afraid." He stepped forward, trying to reach out for her. The barely lit room couldn't hide the sincerity visible in his face.

"No," she shook her head, her ponytail whipping around her, "You have to go."

"No. No I will not leave. You expect me to leave you alone like this? Hello, have you met me, when have I ever left anyone alone?" He asked as his lips quirked up into a little smile.

She didn't smile.

He sighed, "Please, just please let me do this. I can't see you like this. Please let me help you."

She lifted her face to his, grey meeting green. What she saw in them exceeded his simple 15 almost 16 years. It was then that Artemis understood. He was broken, just like her. At least that was something that they shared, that same destructive feeling that keeps them wrecked but makes them strong at the same time. It had matured them past teenagers, taken away their innocence. She understood now that this wasn't just about her; he needed to be here too.

Her hand reached out, gently taking his into it. She gasped at how perfectly the two seemed to fit as she wove her fingers into his. She stepped forward, leaving only inches of space between them. Her other hand found its way around his neck as she lifted herself into him. She fit almost like a puzzle piece in the crook of his neck, her check pressed into his shoulder. His arms went around her waist, pulling her against him.

"Artemis….", he whispered into her hair.

She disentangled from his arms and led him to her bed. The storm had built up its energy again and she knew now she could not handle being alone. She was glad she had him, as much he bothered, pestered, and ridiculed her; he was the only one for her.

They sat cross-legged in front of each other. Only when Artemis started shaking again did he touch her, to pull her close.

They fell asleep like that, in each other's arms.

After that night they had a silent agreement. They would be there for each other, no matter what. They were one now, the only ones that could understand each other. And they were fine with that.


End file.
